Valentine’s day is a day to show the ones you love how much they mean to you. This year I’m making Joe some cupcakes infused with cocoa and coffee that are moist and decadent. They are topped with a buttercream chocolate frosting and sprinkled with toffee bits. This recipe comes from the Decadent Dark Chocolate Cake that I made a few years ago. I couldn’t imagine finding a better mocha base that would have the moistness and dark chocolate flavors than we enjoyed in that recipe. At the end I added some mini chocolate chips in the cake batter to add some chocolate texture in each bite. I cheated with a store bought chocolate buttercream frosting but I will include the frosting recipe I’ve made in the past just in case you want to make your own. For all the dark chocolate lovers, these Valentine cupcakes are hard to resist!
Assemble the dry ingredients including flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, add together the buttermilk, grapeseed oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat on low just until blended.
Add about one third of the dry ingredients beating on low until blended.
Continue adding the dry ingredients blending after each addition until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
Add one cup of strong brewed coffee. It’s like a secret ingredient to make chocolate cake taste so delicious and moist. NM Pinon Coffee is my coffee of choice.
I had an open bag of mini chocolate chips so I added 1/2 cup to the mix. Fold those into the batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Ladle batter into 12 -15 muffin cups about 2/3 to the top. The thin batter proved to be a harder pour into those little paper cups vs a pouring into a cake pan.
Bake 25 – 30 minutes or until toothpick tested. Let muffins cool completely before frosting. Spoon frosting in a decorating bag with your choice with a cake decorating tip. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used a Wilton 4B tip for these cupcakes.
Mocha Valentine Cupcakes
1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil, can use Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil
2 large Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Freshly Brewed Strong Hot Coffee
1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
English Toffee Bits to sprinkle on top
12 – 15 Paper Muffin Cups
Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To prepare cake: Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside.
In a stand mixer, mix together the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat on low just until blended. Begin to add the dry ingredients about one third at a time beating on low after each addition. Continue adding until all the dry mix has been incorporated. Add the freshly brewed coffee beating until it is well combined. Stir the mini chocolate chips into the batter until they are evenly distributed throughout. The batter will appear very thin.
Ladle batter into 12 -15 paper muffin cups about 2/3 of the way to the top. Bake 25 – 30 minutes or until toothpick tested. Let muffins cool completely before frosting. Spoon frosting in a decorating bag with your choice of a cake decorating tip. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle with English Toffee Bits. I used a Wilton 4B frosting tip for these cupcakes.
Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
3 1/2 cups Confectioners Sugar
1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla
4 ounces Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate 60% Cacao, melted
Combine the confectioners sugar, cocoa powder and salt together and mix well. Set aside. With a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the dry ingredients, about a cup at a time beating on low. Alternate adding the heavy cream and vanilla in between the dry ingredients and mix well. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Use a double boiler or fit a bowl over a saucepan with an inch or two of water. Heat the water to a simmering boil and add the bowl on top with the chocolate that has been broken into pieces. As the chocolate begins to melt, stir the bowl until all the chocolate has completely melted. Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl with the buttercream and beat on medium until all the chocolate has mixed in well and appears light and fluffy. Store in an airtight container with a lid until ready to use.
7 thoughts on “Mocha Valentine Cupcakes”
Karen
While I know your chocolate cake has to be terrific, baking cupcakes is nice when you are cooking for just two. You can always freeze what you don’t want to eat right away. It might be very tempting to eat all the cupcakes in just a few days. 😊
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NativeNM
I agree, it’s easier to make meals/desserts that can be put in the freezer when cooking for two people. These cupcakes were no exception. Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
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Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen
So inviting!
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NativeNM
Thanks Dorothy, they are the ultimate dark chocolate cupcake! Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen
Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!
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A Star on the Forehead
I want those now! Heavenly!
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NativeNM
Thank you, they are easy to make in no time!
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